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Belarusian opposition figurehead unsure if US will impose sectoral sanctions on Minsk

I do hope that the US will soon react to our meeting and impose sectoral sanctions, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya said
Svetlana Tikhanovskaya EPA-EFE/ALESSANDRO DELLA VALLE
Svetlana Tikhanovskaya
© EPA-EFE/ALESSANDRO DELLA VALLE

NEW YORK, July 26. /TASS/. Belarusian opposition figurehead Svetlana Tikhanovskaya cannot say for sure if the United States will impose sectoral sanctions on Minsk, as she herself said at a meeting with members of the Belarusian community in New York City.

"We did not talk about sectoral sanctions this time," she said, commenting on her consultations with US officials in Washington. "I do hope that the US will soon react to our meeting and impose sectoral sanctions. I cannot give you a date and I don’t promise anything but I do hope for it to happen," Tikhanovkaya added. According to her, "it’s hard to receive any promises" during such consultations.

Several hundred people gathered for a meeting with Tikhanovskaya in Manhattan, a TASS correspondent reported. In response to a question about possible sanctions on Russia, Tikhanovskaya pointed out that "Belarus is an independent state that should not be linked to other countries." She also said that she saw no threat in the upcoming Russian-Belarusian military exercise Zapad-2021. "Such drills take place on a regular basis. We need to move forward instead of thinking about what could happen. I see no threat in it," Tikhanovskaya said.

Tikhanovskaya arrived in the United States on July 18. Last week, she met with US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland and Counselor of the Department of State Derek Chollet. According to the Department of State, "Secretary of State Antony Blinken joined the group for part of the meeting." Tikhanovskaya also held a meeting with US Presidential National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan.